[5] Denver 2-0 Oral Roberts (Shinyashiki 29’ Elder 59’) | Senior Day Photos | Game Photos 

DENVER – The [5/3] University of Denver men’s soccer team’s striking partnership of redshirt junior Blake Elder (Fort Worth, Texas) and sophomore Andre Shinyashiki (Sao Paulo, Brazil) both scored and DU kept its 10^th cleansheet of the season as the Pioneers earned a 2-0 win over Oral Roberts Saturday night at CIBER Field at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.

“We just wanted to honor our seniors tonight the best way we knew how, and that was to put the work in on every play, and I think we did that tonight,” head coach Jamie Franks said. “Our strikers have been unlucky not to score more this season to be honest, but we have complete faith in those two up top, and they got goals tonight. We know those two can be special for us.

“For us to get back to a cleansheet after letting one up late against New Mexico on Wednesday is important for us. Tonight the boys were sharp, focused and were playing for a bigger purpose. They were playing for six guys that have forever changed the trajectory of this program.”

In addition to tonight’s shutout, Denver’s defense held the opposition without a shot on goal for the fifth time this season (IUPUI, Eastern Illinois, North Florida and Saint Louis).

Redshirt senior Chandler Crosswait (Bedford, Texas) picked off a pass in the 29^th minute to setup the Shinyashiki breakthrough. Crosswait ran onto a misplayed pass 25 yards from goal and played the ball across the box to the run of Shinyashiki who took a touch and ripped a half volley from 16 yards into the top corner. The goal is Shinyashiki’s fourth of the campaign and Crosswait earned his sixth helper of 2016.

The Pioneers outshot Oral Roberts (6-7-2, 2-3-0 Summit) 11-1 in the opening 45 minutes, putting five of those 11 shots on goal. Denver also took the only five corners in a first half Denver controlled proceedings in.

Denver (14-0-2, 5-0-0 Summit) doubled its advantage in the 59^th minute off a Karsten Hanlin (Centennial, Colo.) corner kick, the Pioneers second goal off a corner in as many matches. Elder finished his team-high seventh goal of the season from the top of the box. Hanlin’s assist is his fifth of the campaign.

The shutout is Denver’s ninth in its last 11 matches, and the victory extends Denver’s regular season unbeaten streak to 33, a run that dates back to Halloween Night, 2014.

Up Next:

Denver can clinch its fourth-consecutive Summit League regular season title with a win at Omaha on October 29. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT.

“This is what we want, to go to Omaha and play with the Summit League title on the line,” Franks said. “I know my guys will be ready to go on Saturday.”

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